The Reddit Wasteland. Why do we use the term “Wasteland” to describe Reddit? Some will accuse us of being subjectively critical, prejudiced and harsh. That may be true in part. However, we feel some warning is in order for Christians (in particular) who are thinking about fellowshipping in Reddit Forums.
What is Reddit? According to Wiki:
Reddit (/ˈrɛdɪt/)[5] is an entertainment, social news networking service, and news website where registered community members can submit content, such as text posts or direct links, making it essentially an online bulletin board system. Registered users can then vote submissions up or down to organize the posts and determine their position on the site’s pages. Content entries are organized by areas of interest called “subreddits”. The subreddit topics include news, gaming, movies, music, books, fitness, food, and photosharing, among many others. As of 2015, the website had 542 million monthly visitors (234 million unique users), ranking 14th most visited web-site in US and 36th in the world.[6] Across 2015, Reddit saw 82.54 billion pageviews, 73.15 million submissions, 725.85 million comments, and 6.89 billion upvotes from its users.[7]
Reddit was founded by University of Virginia roommates Steve Huffman and Alexis Ohanian in 2005. Condé Nast Publications acquired the site in October 2006. Reddit became a direct subsidiary of Condé Nast’s parent company, Advance Publications, in September 2011. As of August 2012, Reddit operates as an independent entity, although Advance is still its largest shareholder.[8] Reddit is based in San Francisco, California. In October 2014 Reddit raised $50 million in a funding round led by Sam Altman and including investors Marc Andreessen, Peter Thiel, Ron Conway, Snoop Dogg and Jared Leto.[9] Their investment saw the company valued at $500 million.
You can read some positive Wiki comments about Reddit Philanthropy where Atheist, Christian and Islam subreddits have raised money for various charities. But there’s a dark side that needs to be discussed. So if you’re still on the Wiki page, skip down to the Controversies involving Reddit section and take note of the name, Michael Brutsch aka Violentacrez.
According to The Guardian:
As Violentacrez, Brutsch set up more than a hundred sub-forums (called sub-reddits) where users could share links and images of underage girls, rape fantasy and upskirt photos. Brutsch shut down his Violentacrez username after Gawker reporter Adrian Chen told him he knew his identity… His supporters on Reddit launched a campaign to donate money to the newly unemployed Brutsch and he released his email address on Reddit so supporters could donate money to his PayPal account.
Reddit regarded Chen’s exposé as an attack by Gawker on Reddit, and banned the Gawker article from its Forums. While the ban was allegedly lifted, it was still imposed by administrators:
Users who posts(sic) links to, or related to, the article are still being banned by moderators in some subreddits and the politics forum has decided to ban all Gawker content.
Do your research on Michael Brutsch (reader discretion advised) and how Reddit supported his activities because they brought hundreds of users (and ultimately dollars) to Reddit Forums. See also Reddit’s Transparency Problem and Reddit’s Hate Problem.
Our own experience with Reddit was lamentable. We posted our article The New Age Jesus (which refuted the New Age Jesus) on its largest Christian forum. We were subsequently removed from Reddit because so many people on that “Christian” subreddit objected to the article. We were able to rejoin but were severely limited in our interaction. In other words, we were always in danger of being voted down and out of Reddit by expressing our (presumably intolerant) Christian views.
It’s sad that Reddit’s largest Christian group is called “Christianity”, yet is populated by many vocal atheists. One of its moderators is also an atheist. It is not a Christian-friendly place for sincere people seeking Jesus Christ. It appears to be a magnet for those who mock Christianity and have no interest in seeking truth. What a shame!
Reddit is a Wasteland. Be warned.
Sharing is caring!
